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A Kurdish-Speaking Community of Change : How Social and Political Organising takes Shape in the PYD-controlled Areas in Syria

Rump, Harriet LU (2014) MOSM03 20142
Centre for Middle Eastern Studies
Abstract
This thesis explores current trends in social and political organising in Northern Syria, in areas controlled by the PYD. The research is built on discussions between eight participants from the Syrian Kurdish-speaking community living in the areas. While most discourses on Syria and the Kurdish-speaking community have a macro-political focus and produce racialising descriptions of “Kurdishness” in Syria, less attention is granted to bottom-up organising and the plurality of Kurdishness.

Inspired by the writings of Frantz Fanon, Sari Hanafi, and Hamid Dabashi, I wish to highlight situated perspectives in relation to the ongoing developments. I conduct a ‘double research’ that challenges essentialising discourses of Kurdishness, and the... (More)
This thesis explores current trends in social and political organising in Northern Syria, in areas controlled by the PYD. The research is built on discussions between eight participants from the Syrian Kurdish-speaking community living in the areas. While most discourses on Syria and the Kurdish-speaking community have a macro-political focus and produce racialising descriptions of “Kurdishness” in Syria, less attention is granted to bottom-up organising and the plurality of Kurdishness.

Inspired by the writings of Frantz Fanon, Sari Hanafi, and Hamid Dabashi, I wish to highlight situated perspectives in relation to the ongoing developments. I conduct a ‘double research’ that challenges essentialising discourses of Kurdishness, and the thesis builds on partial and situated knowledge, which is combined with concepts of contentious politics, in order to deeply explore the field of tension between top-down regulations and bottom-up social and political organising within the Kurdish-speaking community in Syria. This thesis concludes that the opportunities and potentials of self-organising depend exceedingly on the PYD party. Furthermore the thesis unfolds the embedded paradox of the idea of Kurdishness in the organising methods and discourses in the areas. (Less)
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author
Rump, Harriet LU
supervisor
organization
course
MOSM03 20142
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Top-down regulations, bottom-up organising, social movements theory, contentious politics, partial and situated knowledge, racialising, essentialisng discourses, PYD, Syrian Kurdish speaking community, Kurdishness, Syria, the Arab Spring, revolution, uprising.
language
English
id
5467460
date added to LUP
2015-06-17 12:56:24
date last changed
2015-06-18 14:04:25
@misc{5467460,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores current trends in social and political organising in Northern Syria, in areas controlled by the PYD. The research is built on discussions between eight participants from the Syrian Kurdish-speaking community living in the areas. While most discourses on Syria and the Kurdish-speaking community have a macro-political focus and produce racialising descriptions of “Kurdishness” in Syria, less attention is granted to bottom-up organising and the plurality of Kurdishness. 

Inspired by the writings of Frantz Fanon, Sari Hanafi, and Hamid Dabashi, I wish to highlight situated perspectives in relation to the ongoing developments. I conduct a ‘double research’ that challenges essentialising discourses of Kurdishness, and the thesis builds on partial and situated knowledge, which is combined with concepts of contentious politics, in order to deeply explore the field of tension between top-down regulations and bottom-up social and political organising within the Kurdish-speaking community in Syria. This thesis concludes that the opportunities and potentials of self-organising depend exceedingly on the PYD party. Furthermore the thesis unfolds the embedded paradox of the idea of Kurdishness in the organising methods and discourses in the areas.}},
  author       = {{Rump, Harriet}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Kurdish-Speaking Community of Change : How Social and Political Organising takes Shape in the PYD-controlled Areas in Syria}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}